New Hosts
by Kagami Kyoji
Summary: Finally, it's Haruhi's second year at Ouran High. Although Mori and Hani stayed on as hosts, new members were sought after. Kyouya had his eye on a particular junior...
1. Chapter 1

Outside the gates of Ouran High School, Fujioka Haruhi let out a soft sigh. Today would just be a little different: She's officially a second-year student. As she strolled towards the classrooms, she couldn't help but giggle when she remembered the events of last year's graduation ceremony. Hani-senpai reassured their fans (his and Mori-senpai's) that they would remain with the Host Club until they had decided on what they wanted next in their lives. With that one short reassurance, half the sobbing at the ceremony ceased, only to be replaced by squeals of joy. If only my debt would disappear like that, thought Haruhi. Kyouya-senpai's really mean for his seemingly endless additions. But, she had to admit it: she was beginning to ENJOY her time with the Host Club. Even if she repaid her debt in full, she now doubted that leaving the club would be an option.

Stopping to note where she was, Haruhi scolded herself. In her daydream, the girl had wandered back to Class 1-A. Turning around to leave her former classroom, she bumped into someone.

"Ouch!"

"Ah, gomen..." Haruhi lost her tongue when she saw the other party. It was a boy with a crop of neatly-combed brown hair. However, what fascinated her was those pair of light-purple eyes. She had never seen the boy before; nonetheless, she felt her heart beating just that little-bit faster...

"Daijoubu ka? (Are you alright?)"

Haruhi stared at the boy. His voice was gentle, perhaps even more so than Tamaki-senpai, the King of the Host Club, she thought. Noticing the queer look the boy was now giving her, she nodded. He smiled.

"I'm sorry too, for bumping into you. Are you in 1-A as well," he asked as he walked towards the door of the classroom. This time, she shook her head.

"I'm actually a second-year student. I came back to my old class by mistake."

"I see." Before the boy entered the room, Haruhi did a very unusual thing.

"What's your name," she asked.

"Yamato, Kira Yamato. And yours?"

"Haruhi, Fujioka Haruhi. I'm in Class 2-A now."

"Ja! See you around then, Senpai!" The girl blushed. She didn't expect to be called that on the first day of school. Remembering the time, she hurried towards her own classroom...

After school, at the third Music Room...

"Ne, ne, Tama-chan, how was school today?" Being "free-lancers" now, Hani and Mori had been waiting for their juniors in the room. Suoh Tamaki smiled as he spotted Usa-chan in Hani's arms. The seniors may have left school, but some things just couldn't be changed.

"The usual. Now, time to prepare ourselves for the lovely ladies." The roses blossomed around Tamaki as he said those words. His deputy, however, had something else in mind.

"Not so fast, Otosan. We need to discuss an important matter first."

"It can wait, Okasan." Otori Kyouya pushed up his specs.

"No, it can't. We need to draw new hosts to the club, Tamaki." The blond quit fooling around. He had given the issue some thought towards the end of last year, but when the seniors made it clear to them that they would be staying, he chucked the problem to a corner (no pun intended).

"Takashi, what do you think about the juniors this year?" The seniors had doubled as guest teachers for the first-year students. Although it may seem odd to the new-comers that this little midget (Hani) was their teacher for the day, he quickly silenced their doubts (although he did encounter some problems while writing on the board; no, he didn't go into "cute" mode). For Mori, it was a skill which he desperately wanted to master: talking for more than one minute. Despite the giggles which could be heard whenever the students felt that the tall teen was awkward in his speech, Mori thought that he did pretty well, for beginners.

"I didn't notice their looks, Mitsukuni. Did you?"

"Ya, there's this boy from Class 1-A..." Hani was distracted by someone entering the room. It was the Hitachiin twins, and Haruhi.

"Haru-chan! Hika-chan! Kao-chan!"

"Why, it's Hani-senpai," greeted Hikaru. Kaoru smiled as his brother and Haruhi were swamped by the senior's questions about their day. Hikaru, despite his feelings for Haruhi, had yet to ask the girl out for a date. As for their beloved Tono, he's still into his "loving father" role at time; Tamaki himself knew that all of them were growing up, and tried to cut down on his silly ways.

The decrease was not nearly enough, for Haruhi that is. Right now, Tamaki was hugging her so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

"Tamaki-senpai..."

"It's been so long since I last saw you, Haruhi! Let Otosan hug you for a while longer," said the president with tears of joys.

"Tono, we just visited her two days ago," reminded the twins. Remembering his promise, Tamaki let go of the girl.

"Anyway, Mitsukuni, you were saying?"

"Oh, sorry, Takashi. This boy in Class 1-A, his name is Kira Yamato..." Haruhi found the name familiar. Where had she heard it before?

"Ah. That also brings me back to my point." Kyouya was a little surprised that Hani had managed to identify one of his potential recruitment targets. (Actually, Yamato was the only one so far; the rest just don't cut it.) Referring to his trusty file, he cleared his throat.

"Kira Yamato from Class 1-A. Second commoner to enter Ouran High School. Like someone we know, he's on a scholarship as well..."

"We have another commoner in the school? Wow." The twins tried to fake their interest in the topic. Haruhi, however, remembered the encounter she had in the morning.

"I've seen him before."

"You WHAT!" Hikaru and Kaoru were now fully awake. Tamaki resisted the urge to approach the girl with puppy eyes and ask, "How could you meet up with new people without letting Otosan know?"

"Haruhi, then you should realise that he would be an excellent addition to our team. He could share your workload, if you know what I mean."

"Kyouya-senpai, the thing is: How is the club going to get Yamato-kun to join us?" Haruhi certainly did not want to put another student through the horrors which she had endured in her first year at Ouran High.

"I'll be taking Kira-chan's class tommorrow. I'll help to persuade him!"

"Ano...Sumimasen." The seven hosts turned their attention towards the door. Haruhi was going to be reminded of her first day at Ouran a year ago, for a certain brown-haired boy had just poked his head into the music room.

"Yamato-kun?" As he scanned the room, Kira caught some familiar faces.

"Haruhi-senpai? And Haninozuka-sensei? What are you two doing here?"

"Kira-chan! Come in, come in!" Kira sweatdropped as Hani ran forward and led him into the room. Was he the same sensei who explained the day's Math formulae a few hours ago? And what's with the stuffed bunny?

"Haninozuka-sensei..."

"After school, call me Hani," insisted the short blond.

"Hani-sensei..."

"Now, that's something new. Right, Kaoru?"

"You nailed that one, Hikaru." Seeing that her fellow hosts were slowly (but surely) scaring Kira out of his wits, Haruhi quickly thought of an introduction.

"Yamato-kun, we are the Ouran High School Host Club." Although she had not planned for it, roses began to blossom around every single host, including herself.

"Huh?" 'May be a little dense', noted Kyouya in Kira's profile.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. I was just looking for a quiet place to study..."

"Now, where have we heard that one before, Hikaru?" Kaoru was in a playful mood today. Haruhi felt her face reddening, although she quickly recovered. The introduction...

"Yamato-kun, these two are the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru."

"I'm Kaoru..." (Actually, it was Hikaru.)

"I'm Hikaru..." (vice versa)

"Yoroshiku, Kira Yamato!"

"Wait, how did you two know my name?" Although Kira wanted to run out of the room right away, he couldn't help but be a little curious.

"Actually, Yamato, we wanted YOU to join our club."

"Oh, that's Otori Kyouya, our vice-president." Haruhi had wanted to add a few more descriptive terms, namely "shadow king" and "money grubber" (among others); she stopped herself just in time.

"Me? Joining the Host Club?"

"Yes, Yamato-kun!" Kira suddenly had this blond teen towering over him, with roses and other flowers blooming around him. Tamaki then went on jabbering away about beauty, wealth and lovely ladies. Haruhi winced. It was exactly the same things which he had told her before.

"That's Suoh Tamaki, our president." The girl found her tongue at last.

"And resident blockhead," added Hikaru with a grin. Tamaki retreated to his usual corner.

"Is Suoh-senpai alright?"

"Ignore him. This, as you know, is Hani-sensei. He's formerly from our club, along with Mori-senpai." Kira bowed to the two senseis. Mori bowed in return; he wasn't used to being treated like a teacher.

"Haruhi-senpai, what about you? Are you a member of the club as well?" Cue faster heartbeats for Haruhi. What's wrong with me, thought Haruhi.

"Yes, I am," replied the girl, not terribly proud of herself.

"But, if the Host Club is meant for girls, why are you a member? In fact, why aren't you wearing the ladies' uniform?" Kira had apparently paid attention to Tamaki's ramblings before they stopped. Noting the boy's words, the six male hosts surrounded the first-year student.

"Neh, Hikaru, what should we do with him?"

"I say we bash him with a baseball bat until he has amnesia!"

"Kira-chan! You're fast! Ne, Takashi?"

"...Ah." (Mori couldn't resist going back to his monosyllabic way of speaking.)

"..." Tamaki was shocked by the fact that a stranger had seen through Haruhi's disguise so quickly (by his standards), and was so calm about it.

"Yamato, since you know of Haruhi's 'secret', I'm afraid that you'll have to join us whether you like it or not." Kyouya flashed a smile at the junior.

"No! I don't have time for this!" Despite the intimidation of the twins and Kyouya, Kira rejected the vice-president's offer without a second thought.

"If you're thinking about your family's financial problems, the Host Club will pay you for your time here." As always, the Shadow King had all the information he needed to know at his fingertips. The new offer changed Kira's mind.

"When do I start?"

"Right now!"

Afterthoughts

-I'm sure all of you know who Kira Yamato is. If not... please watch Gundam Seed. Another Seed Destiny character MAY appear...

-Please RnR! 


	2. Chapter 2

Yamato stared in wonder as Haruhi handed him the official Ouran uniform. Like Haruhi last year, he was currently dressed like a slob (by Ouran standards); his shirt looked as if it was too big for him. While the new host was busy changing , Kyouya gave Haruhi a "I've something to tell you" look.

"The bill for the uniform is going straight to him, Haruhi."

"Kyouya-senpai..."

"Unless, of course, you'll like to pick up the tab for him." Why did Kyouya-senpai had a sly grin on his face?

"...I'll do it." Exactly what I've predicted, thought the Shadow King.

"HUH?!" The twins and Tamaki couldn't believe their ears. Haruhi was willing to be in debt AGAIN because of a junior? The tearing blond grasped Haruhi's hands tightly.

"Haruhi, tell Otosan: Why are you doing this?"

"Tamaki-senpai, stop it!"

"Haruhi, has your obsession with otoro left you with a fever? What are you thinking," cried the twins.

Their chatter soon died down when the curtains parted. Kira Yamato stood before them, with roses blossoming around him in spite of his unease.

"Yamato-kun, Haruhi will help you pay for the uniform." The junior gave the girl a surprised look.

"Why, Haruhi-sempai?"

"Well, I'm a commoner too. Also, I was in debt to the Host Club last year..."

"Which means that she's used to owing the Club money. Anyway, isn't it better that you can take home your first pay cheque instead of spending it on the uniform?" The rest of the Club sweatdropped. Kyouya was indeed their merciless Shadow King. Anyway, while changing, Yamato had been thinking.

"Hani-sensei, are you related to Haninozuka Yasuchika-kun?" The loli-shota host hesistated for a moment. Kyouya added "Definitely dense" to Kira's profile.

"Hai. He's my younger brother." Despite his sad expression, Hani was proud of his brother's achievements, even though the two were not yet on speaking terms.

"EH?!?!" Haruhi felt it necesssary to explain the situation for the new-comer.

"Yasuchika-kun's not on very good terms with Hani-senpai, ever since Senpai joined the Host Club." Yamato remembered the day's Math lesson. His classmate had been evidently uncomfortable whenever Hani-sensei spoke, and Morinozuka Satoshi had been glaring at the blond to make him listen attentively. Guessing where Kira's thoughts were heading, Mori coughed.

"In case you're wondering, Satoshi's my younger brother." This time, Yamato's mouth fell to the floor. The energetic, talkative Satoshi had such a quiet brother? Haruhi whispered into her fellow commoner's ear.

"You get used to weird stuff here at the Host Club." Kira nodded his agreement.

"Well then, Yamato-kun, let me, the Host Club's King, teach you some tricks on hosting!" It was deja vu again for Haruhi as Suoh Tamaki showed the intricacies of using your little finger to reduce noise when you put a glass on the table. The "gazing up while having your head lowered" routine was also taught. Soon...

"Gentlemen, let us prepare for the ladies. I'll be awaiting your performance, Kira Yamato-kun!"

The Host Club's now open for business...

"Why did Kyouya-senpai put us together on my first day, Haruhi-senpai," whispered Kira nervously. Haruhi couldn't help but giggle at the boy's situation. Her mind returned to her first day as a host. At least, a joint hosting with Yamato was different from hosting with the twins; for one, he didn't play silly games. The two groups of guests had their gazes wandering between the two "natural rookies".

"Yamato-kun, are you a foreigner," asked a curious guest.

"Well, not exactly. My father's Japanese, but my mother's from Europe," replied the host politely.

"Yamato-kun, why did you join the Host Club?"

"..." Kira knew that he could not reveal his true reason for joining the club. His father's small transport company was struggling and he had wanted to work part-time to help his family. (Of course, he didn't really care about Ouran's rule of no part time jobs for students.) Haruhi sensed the unease in her partner...

"Would the ladies wish to have some more drinks?"

"Yes, please!" The boy heaved a sigh of relief as the fangirls squealed at Haruhi's "cuteness". Meanwhile, the rest of the Host Club had noted their latest member's progress.

"Two natural rookies together... Nice one, Kyouya-senpai," said Hikaru. Kaoru noted his brother's slightly sarcastic tone. If Kyouya had detected it too, he didn't talk about it.

"The fact that Yamato would work well together with Haruhi is to be expected. If we are to pay him more for his services to the club, we should help him with his client base," explained the vice-president. Regardless, Hikaru gave Yamato an unpleasant glare. Kaoru shook his head. Something bad's going to happen... 

After Host Club hours...

The two commoners were placed in charge of the clean-up...

"Haruhi-senpai, arigato."

"Why are you thanking me, Yamato-kun?" 

"Just now, you helped me with the guests. I really appreciate it."

"I know how it feels like. I was in your shoes last year." Haruhi smiled at her junior. Hitachiin Hikaru couldn't resist clenching his fists. He wanted to... His brother interrupted him.

"Hikaru, do you wish to be slapped again?" The Karuizawa incident last year came back to Kaoru.

"But..."

"We're second-year students now. Violence wouldn't solve anything." Kaoru's right. The elder twin decided to let it go, for now.

"Takashi, Hika-chan's jealous of Kira-chan, no?" As always, Hani realised what the problem was in an instant.

"I guess so."

"Tamaki?" Kyouya wanted his president to decide whether they should step in now.

"Yamato-kun's a member of the Host Club. I'm sure Hikaru's not so reckless as to hurt a fellow host. Let's wait and see." And that was final. Of course, the two commoners were completely oblivious to all these as they chatted away while doing their clean-up...

"Well, looks like we're done. Ja, see you tommorrow, Haruhi-senpai!" Haruhi's face blushed slightly as the brunette left the music room. Turning around, she was then surprised to see that Hikaru's face was absolutely livid.

"Hikaru, is something wrong?"

"... Nothing!" The twin forced himself to be calm even as he tried hard to walk out (not storm out) of the music room. Kaoru smiled nervously at Haruhi as he followed his brother. Haruhi shrugged her shoulders. Little did she realise that she was currently in the eye of a storm...

Afterthoughts

-Please RnR!

-Trivia: In the anime, Hikaru was voiced by Suzumura Kenichi, who voiced Shinn Asuka in Gundam SEED Destiny, and Haruhi's voiced by Sakamoto Maaya (Lunamaria Hawke). In the early drama CDs, Hikaru was voiced by Hoshi Soichiro, who's also the voice of Kira Yamato, while Kaoru was voiced by Kenichi. 


End file.
